The CDC Encourages Kids To Take Vaccination To Avoid Illness Related To Covid-19 Infections

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) is a serious condition that appears to be linked to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Most children who become infected with the COVID-19 virus have only a mild illness. But in children who go on to develop MIS-C, some organs and tissues — such as the heart, lungs, blood vessels, kidneys, digestive system, brain, skin, or eyes — become severely inflamed. Signs and symptoms depend on which areas of the body are affected.

The CDC Encourages Kids To Take Vaccination To Avoid Illness Related To Covid-19 Infections

MIS-C is considered a syndrome — a group of signs and symptoms, not a disease — because much is unknown about it, including its cause and risk factors. Identifying and studying more children who have MIS-C may help to eventually find a cause. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health are working with doctors and researchers across the country to learn more about risk factors for MIS-C, share data, and improve diagnosis and treatment of MIS-C.

Rarely, some adults develop signs and symptoms similar to MIS-C. This new and serious syndrome, called multisystem inflammatory syndrome in adults (MIS-A), occurs in adults who were previously infected with the COVID-19 virus and many didn’t even know it. MIS-A seems to occur weeks after COVID-19 infection, though some people have a current infection. If MIS-A is suspected, a diagnostic or antibody test for COVID-19 can help confirm current or past infection with the virus, which aids in diagnosing MIS-A. MIS-C is rare, and most children who have it eventually get better with medical care. But some kids rapidly get worse, to the point where their lives are at risk. Much remains to be learned about this emerging inflammatory syndrome. If your child shows any signs or symptoms, get help fast.

The coronavirus outbreak has caused a lot of damage to the entire world and the world is still paying for those damages. Even though the pandemic is still not over the countries around the world are trying to control the pandemic using vaccinations and other safety measures, and even by imposing lockdowns. This pandemic has made people lose their loved ones, friends, family and some of them have even lost their own lives. It has not only impacted physically but also financially, so many people have lost their jobs and it has been difficult to lead a life in these difficult times. Both the financial problem and health issues are making the people helpless and they are relying on the government for help.

The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday encouraged parents to get their kids vaccinated against the coronavirus, citing prevention of a rare but serious illness associated with COVID-19 that has been linked to the deaths of three dozen children. “In addition to preventing hospitalizations, the vaccine also reduces the risk of COVID-19, and, therefore, reduces the risk of MIS-C, a serious condition of multisystem inflammation in children, which has affected over 4,000 children in the United States during the pandemic, including 36 children whose deaths were associated with MIS-C,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said during a press briefing. 

The CDC defines the condition, called “multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children,” or MIS-C, as a person under the age of 21 who has a fever lasting longer than a day, inflammation, and severe illness that affects two or more organs and requires hospitalization. The person must have no other plausible diagnosis for the symptoms. They must currently have or recently tested positive for COVID-19 or experienced exposure to a suspected or confirmed case. Symptoms can include persistent fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and skin rashes. The median age of MIS-C patients was 9 years old as of data reported to the CDC through June 2. Most of the patients have been in minority groups, and 60% of cases were in males. The cause of MIS-C is unknown.

“My own children received the COVID-19 vaccine because vaccination is the best way to protect our adolescents, teens and young adults from COVID-19 and its complications,” Walensky said.